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To Hibernate or Not?


Hibernation Today is Groundhog Day, when Punxsutawney Phil will emerge from his lair and predict the duration of winter.

If the day is clear and he sees his shadow, tradition has it that winter will continue for six more weeks. If the day is cloudy and no shadow is visible, then the groundhog detects an early spring.

Today's artwork by Morris Graves evokes the spirit of Groundhog Day—the cozy isolation of hibernation and the promise of seasonal and spiritual rebirth.

Pictured: Morris Graves, 1910–2001, Hibernation, 1954, watercolor on paper mounted on paper, 18 3/16 x 26 3/8 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation.